How much forage do I need?

Again, it is only possible to give estimates of on-farm requirements because every farm will be unique.

All ruminants require fibre in their diet, as do horses. A ruminant requires at least 25% of the diet as long fibre in the form of forage. Horses need at least 1% of their bodyweight in long fibre to maintain healthy gut function.

Remember, if you feed the minimum required amount of forage, you will probably need to feed high levels of concentrates to meet the animals’ feed requirements, which can result in health problems (acidosis and laminitis in cattle).

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Who is the Accidental Smallholder?

Hello, I'm Rosemary Champion, aka the Accidental Smallholder. I'm a smallholder in the east of Scotland and started this website to help other people who are interested in smallholding to find their way, and to share my experiences.